The Peers have again thrown out Lord Bury's bill for
legal- the Marriage of a wielovief with his sisp-ii-law. Vier have, therefore, deferred the question fOr another year, and have prolonged that difference between the two Houses which is only leis important than the conflict between the law and custom as well as between authority and public opinion.
Mr. Black has carried the second reading of his bill to abolish the Annuity-tax in Edinburgh. Ministers identified themselves with the maintenance of that objectionable impost until a suit- able substitute can be found. It is a case of generous devotion at the expense of Ministerial discredit; probably the Cabinet thought that it must follow the Lord-Advocate.
Another mistake was the manner of resisting Mr. Gregory's bill to amend the Irish Poor-law. The object was to prevent the recurrence of such a case as that in which the Galway Board of Guardians dismissed the Reverend Peter Daly for baptizing a pauper foundling in the Roman Catholic faith ; whereas the Guardians insisted that a foundling must be regarded as con- scientiously entertaining the established religion of the state. The case itself occasioned much ill-blood, and might give rise to very serious disputes in Ireland. The only method for super- seding the necessity for an amendment act would have been, a prompt and decisive administrative estopper to such eases ; but, while objecting to the second reading of Mr. Grogan's bill, Ministers singularly hesitated to declare the course which they intended to pursue ; and they suffered the debate to be cut short by the Standing Order for the six o'clock adjournment ou Wednesday.
